


Here Kitty Kitty

by WeabooCreature



Category: Hustle Cat (Visual Novel)
Genre: Multi, a thing i might make into Another Thing, avery isnt dating any of them which is very surprising, gosh is readers jinkies, no beta reader we die like men, overuse of the word cute and adorable, takes place a few months after the endings, the curse is broken, we're also very lazy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-13 15:39:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16895358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WeabooCreature/pseuds/WeabooCreature
Summary: You're a regular customer just trying to support your favorite cat cafe but gosh darn why did all the empoyees have to be so cute?





	1. Purrific

There wasn't a real explanation as to why you came to the cafe whenever you have the chance to. It was a cute little cafe run by cute people with cute kitties roaming around the place, how could you not want to go in? The only strange thing about it was the allure of always wanting to be in there which had nothing to do with the workers. Very mystifying is the good way.

You were currently at your usual spot at the semi circle couch in the middle of the ground floor, idly playing with one of the cat toys to entertain a certain large and long haired kitty that had stayed at your feet for a while. The cat was fucking adorable. You believed that it was a Maine Coon if your endless Googling to find out the breed of it was reliable though really you could not care less about the breed as you were more interested in how soft its brown eyes were. A grin made its way onto your lips, patting the cushion besides you to get it to sit next to you and you laughed softly when it did.

"What a pretty kitty." You whispered, gently scratching it behind the ear and internally squealed when it had leaned into your touch and did that cute thing cats do when they close their eyes and kinda curl their lips. Ooooh gosh you were smitten already. 

"Oh! I was wondering where he was." A surprised husky voice snapped you out of your little world and you brought your hand back out of instinct. You looked over to the owner of the voice and saw a white haired teenager with a mischievous look on their face. What kind of 'V' shaped frog smile was that? 

You glanced down at the cat who you swear you thought looked like he was giving the waiter a Certain Look for interrupting you too. Or maybe it was all your imagination because you really wanted to keep petting it. Or rather 'him' as you just found out. "Can I not pet him? His fur is just so soft I couldn't help it." 

They waved their hand dismissively, sitting down a square away from you on the couch and eyed the cat who was sitting with his tail facing them. "Nah, don't worry about it. Customers are allowed to play with any of the cats but this big lug was supposed to be doing something and not hog up all the attention from one of our regulars." There was a certain pointed tone in their voice that you couldn't make out but judging by the look on their face, it was probably just a joke between them and the cat. Though you had no idea what kind of 'something' a cat should be doing. 

It was then that you got flustered when you realized something else the waiter had mentioned. "Ah geez- Do I come in here too much if I'm considered a regular? I swear I try not to so I don't weird any of you guys out!" What number was this trip, like, the seventh or tenth time? Maybe more? You've lost count from how many times you've played with cats and drank good coffee. 

Your redness got even worse when you heard them laugh. "Oh my god! No! I mean, yeah it's kind of hard not to notice people who come in a lot but trust me, the staff doesn't mind," They then grinned and reached down to pet the cat sitting between you and his tail thumped against the couch. "Apparently this one doesn't mind either."

At that, the cat let out an annoyed or maybe embarrassed meow and ran off upstairs. You snorted. "I'm Avery by the way." You turned back to the waiter and smiled at them. 

"Nice to meet you Avery. You probably know my name, huh?" Avery snickered and nodded, repeating your name and you sheepishly nodded back. 

The two of you talked for a while on the couch whenever Avery wouldn't excuse themselves to wait on whoever walked in and you were forever thankful that the cafe was still only locally known and not crazy popular or else you would have lost out on even more time to talk to them. From time to time you would see a talk man walk briskly across the ground floor. He would glance your way occasionally before offering a smile, nervous smile then go back to what you assume was the kitchen or onto other customers. Curious enough however, you never saw the maine coon after he had left and that made you a little bummed out. 

You stretched out your limbs on the couch with a small yawn and you took the time to look around the cafe. Anytime you came there wasn't really many people. Granted, it was hidden away from the main streets so that must be why it doesn't get too much traffic but with how aesthetically pretty it is you were still surprised that it didn't get more business from some Instagram star mentioning it. Then again you weren't sure that there being any more than five people at a time would be a good thing. It was such a lovely place and maybe its main appeal to you was how soft and cozy it all was. Your traitorous brain briefly flashed some of the workers to remind you of another small pro to the cafe. 

Come on, you thought to yourself, these people are only nice because they work here! Don't think any more about it.

Your gaze found its way to a girl with long brown hair who flashed a bright smile at a man with blonde hair who didn't know how to return it. She playfully nudged his shoulder and his shoulders tensed up and he shook his hands in front of himself only for her to laugh brightly. He turned his head slightly in your direction and when you both made eye contact he quickly whipped his head back. Huh, strange. He's probably a little anxious you guessed though that previous nervousness slipped away enough for him to cover her mouth when she had opened it with a teasing look on her face. 

Her muffled yelling could faintly be heard before he might have said something that made her stop. She nodded, grinning widely when he had uncovered her mouth and she waved at you. You blinked. Oh. Even more strange. You waved back with a crooked, unsure smile of your own and she brightened up instantly. Before she could yell more there was a call of a name that made her groan loudly and say something to the blonde man, following him into a door but not before they both looked back at you. 

You leaned back into the couch to process the show you had witnessed. Her name was probably Finley since she had groaned at it being called though you mentally beat yourself up for not remembering it. She had been your waitress a few times when you came in in the past. So had the blonde man though you couldn't figure out his name for the life of you. It started with an H, that much you were sure about. 

What were you saying again? Oh! Right, the cuties that work here and two of them just so happened to pop up when you thought of them. Speaking of cuties, right now you were waiting on Avery to finish up with a group at a table so you sat yourself in the middle of a cat party as you pointed a laser on the floor for them to follow. 

You rested your head on your hand, smiling to yourself as you watched them all chase the light and paw at the ground to grab it. One of the smaller cats found their way to sit on your lap. It took everything in your power to not move or even breath to hard in fear of having the cat walk away.

After a few minutes of sitting like this, you felt a tap on your shoulder. "Avery- Don't make any sudden movements or else the cat is gonna leave. I feel like it's some sort of law to not disturb a cat if it does this." 

"I'm not sure about law but it's definitely not nice to wake a cat up from its nap." You snapped your head up at hearing a voice very unlike the one you were expecting. Oh fuck he's cute.

The person standing above you looked amused at the little cat army you had surrounding yourself and had his arms crossed over his chest, one hand peeking out that was holding a mug. His green eyes and red letterman jacket stuck out to you right off the bat but then again, you averted your gaze when you were staring at his eyes for too long and cleared your throat nervously. "Oh uh- Sorry I thought you were-"

"Avery yeah, I heard," He rolled his eyes then placed the mug down next to you. "They're a little tied up right now for once and wanted me to give you some coffee while you wait. On the house by the way." At that last part you noticed that his cheeks grew a little red. _Oh god he's really cute._

You carefully took the mug in your hand then gasped. Was, was that foam latte art?? "This is so adorable!" It must have taken forever to do this kind of foam art and you had no idea how the person could have even done it. The art of of a cute little kitty with hearts around it and a small smile and happy closed eyes. There's whiskers and everything! 

The red on the guys cheeks quickly went away at hearing you and he squats down to your level to look inside the mug. This confused you. Did he not know what was on it? He was the one who had given you the drink in the first place. He clicked his tongue, he huffed and sat down next to you save for some space between you two. "That sneaky little.." His voice got a quiet near the end but you could barely make out him mentioning that he should never trust blondes ever again.

Taking a careful sip to not ruin the art, you continued playing with the cats. "Says the guy who has blonde hair." You mentioned softly, hiding your smirk behind the mug and you nearly spilled some at hearing him sputter. If you would have been looking at him you would have seen the bright red blush coloring his face all the way up to his ear. 

"Mine is dyed it's completely different!" He retorted but whatever argument he was trying to get from this exchange was dashed when you heard his voice crack. Your looking at him must have set him off even more because now he was pulling the bill of his hat to try and cover his face which only made this all the more precious. 

"Yeah but you're still a blonde aren't you? Same stuff." Another sip of this delicious coffee. Man you needed to find out who made this and personally thank them for it.

He huffed but it also added to the amazing situation you found yourself in. The two of you were quiet for a few minutes before he said your name. "That's your name right?" He asked. You nodded. "Figured. You come in here, what? Every two or three days? Most of the staff can recognize you by the back of your head by now." 

God again with you being a regular. You seriously came in _that_ often?? "The food and drinks are cheap and the cats are really cute and-!" You stopped yourself when you saw him crack a smile. Something told you that this was a special kind of smile that he didn't show too often and that seed of hope made you blush. "Ah listen to me. I'm apologizing for giving you guys business. Gosh, I really need to home before I say something that makes me seem even more stupid." 

That smile didn't fade away, thank god. This shortie was making his way into your heart. "I like hearing you talk." OH. OKAY. Fuck there goes your uwu's. They're all on the floor now. Fantastic. 

The two of you looked at each other ignoring everything else happening around you. Just as he was about to open his mouth, someone had decided to clear their throat rather loud enough to make the both of you jump in your spots and look up to see whoever made the sound. Who the hell was this woman and why did you feel the sudden urge to ask her to choke you out. 

"Didn't take you as the slacking type, Reese." The tall goddess said as she stared at Reese (you never asked what his name was what kind of person were you) with an icy look in her eyes not once looking at you and you were stuck between disappointment and relief.

Reese got up on his feet and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I-I was making sure that our favorite regular wasn't having any complaints on the service since Avery is their server and I thought it was only reasonable as assistant manager to check up on them." 

"Mhm. Any complaints?" She then locked her eyes on you and you swear from the bottom of your soul that her gaze softened. Thank God too. You weren't sure if you could handle her turning you to ice. 

You carefully moved the sleeping cat but settled for just picking her up and letting her curl up in your arms. A hand came into view and it was that girl! "O-Oh! Uh, thanks." Taking her hand, you stood up and looked back down at the cat then back to her and Reese. "But um. Yeah, no, there wasn't any complaints! Uh, Reese? Reese was really nice and fun to talk to and great company. He won't be in trouble for anything, right?" 

There was a part of you to throw in some puppy eyes but you were a grown adult and puppy eyes were for losers who didn't have natural charisma! Wait a minute.. That was you! Fuck it- Time to whip out the puppy eyes and see what happens. 

It had an effect on Reese who's shoulders drooped a bit and shifting his hat around to not look you in the eyes but the girl didn't seem impressed but eventually she sighed in defeat and rubbed the back of her neck. "He won't. 'M telling Graves about this."

Reese groaned but nodded all the same. "Whatever Mason. I'm gonna get back to work before Avery decides to do something stupid." With that he left the two of you though did spare you a final glance and blushed furiously when you waved at him. Gosh what a cutie. 

Mason was still next to you with a thoughtful look on her face and you stiffened up. Oh god she's still here what the hell do you say. You sheepishly smiled at her and she turned her head slightly, biting her lip and looking everywhere else that wasn't you. Is she secretly shy type? What is with this cafe and giving you so many crushes in one day out of nowhere? 

"Do," You perked up at hearing her voice. "Do you want.. A donut? Or something?" You couldn't say yes fast enough and your enthusiasm took her off guard a bit though she bounced back in a second. She nodded her head back to the couch you were previously on and you smiled brightly, walking to it and taking a seat, leaning back so you wouldn't disturb the cat too much as you enjoyed the rest of your coffee. It wasn't cold yet which was a good thing. The latte art was still intact though was slowly fading away with the rest of the drink. 

"I don't think I've ever seen you here before." You said just before Mason could walk off. She turned around to face you with that stoic expression on and you suddenly felt the urge to make her laugh or smile. Maybe both if this went right. 

"Work in the kitchen. Only chef here so." She trailed off and you nodded along, taking another content sip while gently petting the cat on your chest. "You come in a lot though." 

Here we go again. "Well the food is really good! I guess I should be thanking you then since I always enjoy whatever is the special of the day and the sweets makes however bad my day was a lot better." Did that sound lame? Hopefully not. You really don't want to embarrass yourself anymore than you already have in front of her. 

She looked away from you again. Wait.. Was she blushing? A wide grin crawled onto your lips. Time to amp up the compliments. You were determined to make her smile now. 

"Yeah! Whenever I get off from work or from class and it's been a pretty heavy day for me, I love coming here and ordering some of those amazing donuts, french toast, sandwich or anything for that matter! The food is never overcooked or overcooked and it always feels a little like home and then I'm ready to take a nap. Not to say your regular cooking is bad or anything but you're sweets are what really keep me coming. Asides from the cats but y'know." 

When you finished your gushing session you finally saw her biting back a smile and pointedly looking away from you again. "..Thanks." She muttered then took a step away from you. "'S means a lot."

You perked up. "No worries! So, how about that donut you offered earlier?" You finished it off with a wink to get some more emotion from her and it had absolutely worked when you saw her falter. Score! 

"Sure. Jus' a sec." Mason went on her way to what you guessed was the kitchen. You couldn't wait until you got that donut. 

Time went by and the cat was still sleeping on your chest, only even stirring to stretch her limbs and knead at your shirt. A few selfies later and you were greeted by a goth. 

Oh. 

You don't think you're ever leaving this cafe ever again.


	2. Catnip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> we chat with Graves and Landry for a minute

In a way, you're not really surprised that a goth guy was in a cute little cat cafe like this. The clash of aesthetics worked very well and made for a very visually interesting picture but that doesn't explain why said goth guy is standing right in front of you holding a bag. 

The two of you didn't say anything for a brief moment. You were too busy trying to figure out why Goth Guy was just standing there to stare at you while he was probably wondering why this strange person has been in the cafe for at least a good hour. With no one else with them. Man you must have looked like a very lonely cat person.

You huffed internally as you forced yourself to not throwing yourself a pity party and now tried to focus on the Goth Guy. Seriously, how long has he been rocking this look? You can see the faint white streaks that's starting to peek through his hair. In his thirties at the least and at most just a very well aged forty something. The next thing that you focused on was his eyes. Very beautiful in their own right though now you have a small theory as to why someone like him was here. He might just relate to cats since some have heterochromia though you aren't sure if you've seen one stalking around with duel colored eyes. What a shame- Now you have to pay even more attention to the cats. Drats.

Cats aside, Goth Guy didn't seem to be going away anytime soon and you scooted to the side to make some room just in case that's what he was silently asking to sit besides you. He let out a hum of a laugh before sitting down gracefully, crossing one leg over the other and giving the bag to you. Oh. Oh wait hell yeah those were the donuts that Mason asked if you wanted! 

"I honestly didn't think she was going to get me any." You mused softly, peeking inside the bag and biting the inside of your cheek. Come on! It's so hard to be a rational adult and not scream about how cute these donuts are! They had kitty hears and icing whiskers and everything! You have never seen these before so it might be safe to assume that she had made them just for you and that hopeful thought made you feel all warm inside. "Gosh, what a day."

"What a day indeed." Goth Guy finally spoke. For some reason, his voice sounded exactly how you expected it to sound. Very smooth and soft, each letter of that four word sentence enunciated so he can be clearly heard. You looked up at him. He had his hand resting just below his chin as he looked you over with a thoughtful expression on his face. Oh fuck was there some cat fur sticking to your skin? 

Nervously, you wiped at you face just in case and cleared your throat and straightened your back. His presence made you want to at least pretend as if you had manners. Maybe he was a king from some far away kingdom lost in our world and now finds solace among the stray cats taken in by a cute cafe. It was only logical. "Yeah uh, I better get going now that I've got the donuts that Mason gave me. Plus I've been here for too long anyways and I don't want to bother the employees anymore than I already have." Jesus Christ stop talking before you get into ramble territory.

The man didn't seem too phased by your word vomiting and shot you a small smile as he leaned back into the couch, greeting one of the cats that came to jump on his lap. "Oh there's no need to worry about them. I can assure you that they all enjoy your visits. It's the highlight of their day, really. We all enjoy your being here." 'We'? Oh god does he work here too? 

"Do you work here too?" How many was that now? You've met Avery, Reese, Mason, and now maybe this goth dude. There was also that guy and girl from earlier since they had went into one of the doors that you can only assume was meant for employees only. Six of the people who worked here and you met them all in the span of what felt like fifteen minutes. 

His warm deep chuckle snapped you from your thoughts and you suddenly wanted to ask him about the reason why we're all alive. "I suppose you can say that." 

Ah. Mysterious. "What's that supposed to mean?" He was petting the resting cat on his lap like an old timey villain would. You take back calling him mysterious. He's more cheesy in the best way possible. 

"I own the cafe," He sounded very proud of that fact and you couldn't blame him. "While I'm not here too often, I do hear whispers from my little family that they don't mind in the slightest that you come in so often. Frankly we're all smitten." 

Him saying 'we're' sent our heart thumping. "What do you mean?" Look at you repeating questions in front of a probably fair and just king. What an adult you are. 

He held your gaze for a few seconds before closing his eyes and sighing contently as he continued to pet the cat. It was almost like stepping inside of a portrait and seeing the real person it was based off. Absolutely mesmerizing. Shit you can feel a crush coming on. "If you don't know now then you will eventually find out." 

"How ominous." The cat on your chest stirred slowly as she stretched out her fuzzy limbs and yawned, her eyes blinking and turning her head up to you before nuzzling her head against you, purring softly and rolling over onto her side.

"So I've been told." His voice sounded distance as he watched you, that intrigued look back in his duel colored eyes. "Ramona seems very infatuated with you. You seem to have that affect on everyone." 

Your head snapped up. "I what."

He simply turned his head away but you could see that smug smile tugging at his lips. When he didn't say anything back you pressed on. "Alright come on mystery Goth Guy. If you don't tell me what you mean then I'm going to assume you read my palm without me knowing know all about my life."

"So be it then." 

There was a surprisingly comfortable silence between the two of you. 

"You never said your name" You finally broke the silence and the man hummed to himself.

"So I haven't." 

A lazy grin made it's way onto your lips and he arched a brow, tilting his head to look your way. You told him your name and extended your hand out towards him, the grin still there as you looked at the strange man. He didn't immediately shake your hand back and it was almost as if he was trying to get a read on you but before you could delve deeper into your own thoughts his own soft but lightly callused hand was touching yours and he had a sort of gentle look wash over his face. Yeah, he was a king.

"Graves. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Same can be said to you. Can't say I've ever met someone with that name, very unique. Very fitting." And you meant it. Who the hell were you to judge the man - Graves, you silently reminded yourself - on his name when it was so badass albeit cheesy. An adorable trait all on its own. 

Graves chuckled. "I seem to have a knack for leaving that impression on someone. My being unique, I mean. You wouldn't be the first to mention it."

"So you really own this place?" You asked, placing the mug away for now and turned your body a bit towards him. "It's really beautiful."

He seemed to pause for a second before looking down to the cat resting on his thighs. "Yes. I'm not the sole designer of the cafe however, we have an amazing constructor among our employ who created all the cat towers and other things for the cats that you see here. He's truly remarkable. I had a hand in designing the cafe altogether though so thank you for the compliment."

You laughed, looking around to see the cat towers and to the shelves on the walls for the cats to climb on. You really wanted to meet whoever that guy was. "You'll meet him again soon," Great timing Graves. "He also works as a waiter when he's not busy constructing something for the cafe."

Judging from the smile that's threatening to form, you think that Graves knows something that you don't. "Wait- Again?"

This made him let out a soft bark of a laugh. "You may have met him, you just don't know it yet." 

"You're very ominous aren't you." 

"Why, thank you," Oh god that's a really cute/hot smile he's got on. "You're rather gravitating yourself."

Before you could come up with a good response to what you think was him flirting, a familiar and unexpected voice made its return. "Hey! Is Graves done reading your palm?"

"Avery!" You grinned brightly up a them, motioning for them to sit down with you. If you weren't too busy in talking with your newfound friend then you would have noticed the exchange of looks between them and Graves along with the almost protective way he shifted towards you. "You never mentioned that you boss was super cool!"

That made the both of them make a double take. Avery went into a fit of giggles and snorts while Graves covered the lower half of his face with his hands, eyes looking away from you two and leaving you to wonder what was so wrong about what you said.

" _Graves?_ He's like the least cool dude in here! Are you alright? Have you drunk too much coffee?" They teased all the while taking the near empty mug away from you.

You're face went red. "H-He's nice!"

"Thank you," Graves' hand was on your shoulder, giving you a soft squeeze. "It means a lot. I'm afraid that everyone can be and flattering as you. Avery here enjoys teasing me."

"Pfft. Whatever, Gramps."

Time to defend the hot guy from your equally as attractive friend-acquaintance. "Hey now, he's not _old-_ "

"I'm thirty-nine." Graves chimed in and you had to stop yourself from wheezing.

Okay well. This could still work. He was thirty-nine to your twenties. That wouldn't be too much of an age gap. Your gaze shifted sheepishly over to him and he smiled at you. Yeah it could so work out just fine.

"He looks good for his age!" You turned to him and gave him a thumbs up. "You look amazing for your age."

Avery whistled and you deflated a bit. "You went from good to amazing in a flash. Got the hots for the boss?" They nudged your shoulder playfully and you groaned.

"Don't you have tables to wait on?"

Avery shrugged and nodded their head upstairs. "Landry is taking over my shift for right now. My feet are killing me from being on them for too long and I have got to sit for a while before I get back to work."

"Who's Landry?"

"Yes?" Another convenient entrance. Only this time, it was the voice of a a guy who was somewhere between deep and comically high pitched. Whatever, he sounded like he gives great hugs.

You looked up to see who it belonged to and found a tall man with a plate in one hand, his once polite smile morphing into one of nervous happiness as he looked at you. "Oh!" That was the cutest fucking 'oh' you have ever heard in your life.

Avery, the god, swooped into save you from embarrassing yourself. Before you could even think about sending them a thankful look you saw that froggy 'V' shaped smile and it was right then that you knew they would start something.

"Hey Landry! Our favorite customer over here was just wondering where the cat they were petting when they first came in had went. Have you seen it?" They looked at him with wide expectant eyes and Landry laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of your neck.

"Oh geez- Was that cat yours?" You went into word vomit mode. "Aah gosh I'm so sorry if it was! The cat was so soft and honestly maine coons are really cute and it was so docile and friendly and sweet- Ugh I should have known that a cat that acts like that would have belonged to someone. I'm so sorry about that!"

Landry waved his free hand in front of him to calm you down and boy did you need to be calmed down. "O-Oh! It's alright, don't worry! Avery is just messing with me," He shot them A Look. "They always do that."

"Only because you're so easy to talk to." Avery reminded. 

"I think I'll take my break now." Landry tapped Avery's foot with his own and handed them the plate. "Take this to table four please."

"But I just got off my shift!" Avery sputtered.

"I'll allow it," Graves popped in, stroking the cat on his lap just like a villain. "Come now Avery, Landry was here early to help fix some of the cat supplies."

Avery groaned, standing up as they balanced the plate in hand and stuck their tongue out at the two men. "Y'all suck." They said goodbye to you before heading off to do their rounds. 

Graves was the next to get up after gently placing the cat on the ground. "As much as I enjoyed our chat, I think I might take my leave now. May out paths cross again."

Now it was just you and Landry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> laughs can you tell that Avery and Graves are my favorite
> 
> graves is ooc and im so sorry. i cant get averys goofiness just right and that makes me want to cry so much
> 
> landry has octopimps voice i wont argue on this

**Author's Note:**

> uuuhh trying something out dont mind me


End file.
